Tunnels of Love
by P-Artsypants
Summary: The night started out with an accidental kiss from Adrien Agreste, and ended with her bleeding in the Catacombs of Paris. Ladybug, the wielder of the miraculous of good luck. Yeah right. (Some blood)


I have to stop doing this. I start a fanfic, and then go off and write another one. Thankfully this is just a oneshot, and I hope you enjoy it!

It was the conclusion of exams for the students of Collège Françoise Dupont, and Marinette's class had organized a soirée to celebrate. The prettiest dresses, the goofiest ties, the best music, and the closest of friends. This was what the party was rooted in, and with that, there really couldn't be any fail.

Or, Marinette had hoped. She was the student council president, of course, so she had a large role in the planning.

The courtyard was strung with globe lights and tule. As snack tables sat under the basketball hoop, and Nino and his DJ booth were tucked under the stairs.

Marinette was one of the first to arrive, as she strolled in with a magenta dress. The bodice was lacy and the skirt was layered. All giving way to a very charming and classy look.

"And the Princess has arrived!" Alya called, flaunting a black dress halter top style dress.

"Oh stop, I'm blushing!" Marinette joked. "Oh! The decorations look so great at night!"

"I'd say so." Agreed Nino, from the booth. He was still setting up.

"What? No suit?" Marinette accused.

"Not for me, thanks. I'm more than comfortable in jeans and a T-Shirt."

"Well, I hope you enjoy feeling left out." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"If you think Kim is going to show up in anything but track clothes, you'd be sorely mistaken." Nino wagged his finger at her.

"Fine fine," she rolled her eyes. "And I suppose putting Alix in a dress is similar to pulling teeth."

It wasn't long before people started showing up. The first were Rose and Juleka. Both of which were dressed to the nines, and they greeted Marinette first with kisses on the cheek.

Max arrived next, and greeted her in the same way. It seemed like a long train of people showed up, and watched as she was greeted with kisses, and the custom continued with each guest. She was the one responsible for the party, after all.

Chloe came up, and her lip twitched.

"You don't have to." Marinette whispered, determined to calm the blonde's wrath before it began.

Chloe gave her a look, that was a close to gratitude as she'd get, and joined the party.

Then, there was Adrien. Dressed in a Gabriel tuxedo, a _tuxedo_ of all things. He had his hair lightly gelled to keep his bangs away from his face, and looked absolutely stunning.

He smiled at her genuinely, fondness reflected in his eyes. "Hi Marinette."

"H-hi…" she managed out.

Then he leaned in and left a kiss on her cheek. His lips actually touched her skin, instead of the air around her face.

This stunned Marinette so, that when she went to kiss his cheek in response, she moved her head the same way as he did, and the result was disastrous.

Or absolutely perfect, depending on who you talk to.

Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng, kissed. Mouth to mouth. Not just a peck either. A prolonged melting of lips, spurred on by shock and adolescent hormones.

When they pulled apart, both stared wide eyed at the other, too gobsmacked to speak.

Chloe broke the silence by grabbing Marinette by the shoulder and spinning her around. She stuck a perfectly manicured finger in her face. "UM?! Excuse me?! Marinette, _what_ do you think you are doing?!"

"I—I…" Marinette floundered, drowning in her own reckless emotions.

"How dare you make a move on someone else's man!" She shrieked.

"Chloe, I'm not—" Adrien tried to protest, but it was drowned out in Chloe's furious screams.

"I swear to the love of all things pure and holy, I will murder you Marinette Dupain-Cheng!"

"It was an accident!" The other girl protested, horrified of the barbie doll screaming in her face.

"It _sooo_ wasn't!" Chloe argued. "I see the goo goo eyes you make at him! Everyone knows you are hopelessly in love with Adrien, you skank!"

Marinette gasped, her mind reeling. Her two seconds of bliss was turning into a nightmare.

"And you think you're so clever, don't you? Thought you could sneak a kiss and no one would notice?! You're as stupid as you are pathetic!"

"But it was an accid—!"

Chloe, not being characteristically violent, had decidedly had enough and slapped Marinette across the face.

"What the shit Chloe?!" Alya shouted.

"Yeah, what's your problem?" Another student shouted.

By sheer luck, the perfect excuse to run away presented itself, in the form of a bloody nose.

"Oh!" Marinette shrieked, pulling her skirts back and covering her face with her hand.

Chloe's eyes widened. "I didn't hit her that hard…"

It seemed like no one agreed.

"I think you should go," stated Alya, with crossed arms.

"No no…" Marinette pinched her nose. "This wasn't your fault Chloe." She assured, determined not to have any drama. "But it really was an accident. Now, let's just have fun." Trying to be the bigger person was hard, but she smiled anyway.

Her friend picked up the cue. "Alright, fabulous ladies and handsome gentlemen! Thanks for coming! Let's get this party started! Hit it Nino!"

Marinette slipped into the locker room, then the bathroom. She carefully wadded up some toilet paper and stuffed it in her nostril.

What a start to a party.

She ran the faucet and washed her bloody hand.

Tikki emerged from the ruffles of her skirt. "At least you didn't get any blood on your pretty dress."

"I guess I can be thankful for that."

"And you got to kiss ADDDRRRIIIIEEENNNNN~" Tikki sang.

Marinette blushed heavily. "Yeah…" Then she frowned. "That's not exactly how I pictured our first kiss though." She groaned. "What a mess…"

A male voice called from in the locker room. "Marinette?"

She peeked around the corner to see Adrien waiting for her, a concerned look on his face. "Adrien…"

"Are you alright? Do you need anything? Ice pack?"

She smiled at him, and wondered how stupid she looked with a wad of tissue jammed up her nose. "No, no…I'm fine. I doubt Chloe's hit actually did anything. Uh, my dad accidentally hit me in the face with a cookie sheet a while back. And now whenever it gets just a little bit dry, I get a nosebleed." It wasn't a whole truth. Considering it was an akuma who had hit her in the face.

But details.

"Oh, well…I'm glad it's just that." He blanched, "not that a bloody nose isn't a big deal in the first place, but to know that it wasn't because you were hurt…I mean, you might still be hurt…are you hurt?"

Since when was Adrien this flustered around her? Never.

"I'm fine, Adrien. I'm a big girl, I can take a hit."

And since when was she the one _not_ a total mess around him? NEVER.

He rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding her gaze. "Listen, about the…kiss? I'm sorry. Not-not that I'm sorry it happened, but just, the way it happened. I mean, I would have asked, if I had planned on it…"

Marinette came to realize that the light pink that dusted his cheeks really looked good on him. Heck, he could wear a potato sack and he'd still look perfect.

The humorous image of Adrien strutting down the catwalk in a potato sack flittered through her head.

He looked at her expectedly.

Shoot, he had asked a question.

"I'm sorry, what?" She nearly whispered, embarrassed to have been caught daydreaming.

"I said, can I keep you company until your nose stops bleeding?"

"Oh! Sure, if you want to. Would't you rather be hanging out with your friends?"

"I am, aren't I? I'm with you."

Her heart nearly burst at the seams. "Thank you."

They both took a seat on the bench. "Um…so the kiss…" Marinette began.

"Yeah…"

Both were still in disbelief that it had even happened. Of course, it was so vivid and real…

"It doesn't change things, does it?" She asked quietly.

"Like what?"

"Like…you don't hate me now, do you?"

He chuckled softly. "No, of course not, Mari."

She rested a hand on her chest. "Thank goodness."

"If I'm being honest…" his blush returned. "I…kind of knew about your crush."

Marinette closed her eyes in defeat. "Well, then I guess I can't be terribly mortified. Am I that obvious?"

"I didn't think so." He assured, kicking his feet out and leaning back on his arms. "Chloe was the one who told me."

Marinette let out an unladylike swear. "This is why I can't have nice things."

"…it was pretty unfair to you. And I told her as much. But she was convinced you were trying to seduce me."

Marinette snorted. "I wouldn't say _seduce_. I wanted you to like me."

"I do like you." He said, easily.

"Like… _like_ like me."

"Oh." He said simply. "Well, that makes sense. If you _like_ liked _me_."

Marinette shook her head. "This is weird. I didn't think I'd be having this conversation with you."

"Ever?"

She swallowed. "I don't know if you noticed, but for a long time, I was a stuttering mess around you. I didn't think I'd ever find the nerved to…ahem, confess."

"So why not now?"

"What?"

"Why don't you confess to me now?"

She sputtered, "b-because you already know!"

Adrien shrugged. "Well, sure. But if you've been preparing all this time, I feel like you should at least do it. And you don't have to be nervous. I'm not going to laugh at you."

Marinette's lips quivered and she kneaded her hands. "Okay…" She exhaled, then…"Adrien."

He met her gaze with a warm smile.

"I…I'm in love with you."

The use of the 'L' word had surprised him. He had thought it was just a crush after all. But no matter. He smiled adoringly. "See, that wasn't too hard, was it?"

Marinette felt sick. "I guess that means you don't feel the same, do you?"

Adrien's smile sank. He pondered his words carefully. "I wanted you to confess, so that we could clear the air and continue being friends…but I knew I had to turn you down…and for that, I'm really really sorry." He reached out and took her hand, "Mari, you're one of my best friends, and I don't want to lose you or hurt you."

She nodded, and wiped her eye, careful not to bump her nose. "Is there…someone else?" She whispered.

Adrien was quiet for a while. "Yeah. I…I really love her. And I wish I didn't, sometimes…because she doesn't feel the same. So…I know how you feel, and it sucks and I wish I wasn't doing this to you, but I just love her so much and…" Adrien drew quiet and hung his head. "I'm sorry."

He seemed to sink into a depression, one of self loathing and doubt. Marinette recognized it immediately. "Hey," she bumped his shoulder. "We're a pair of pathetic kids, aren't we?"

He gave a watery laugh. "Yeah."

"I'm not mad, a little bummed, but it's okay." She was lying of course. She wanted to curl up into a ball and cry, but she was sure Adrien wanted to too. "You won't lose me."

Adrien raised his head to look at her. "Thank you."

Next thing she knew, she was enveloped in his arms, and being crushed to his well toned chest.

After a few minutes, the pair separated and composed themselves. The nosebleed had subsided, and they walked back out to the party together.

"Thank you," she said, suddenly.

"…for breaking your heart?"

She huffed, "no…for doing it gently."

They joined the party, and danced and snacked and had fun. They even allowed themselves a slow dance together, because if their hearts were raw and tender, finding solace in someone they trusted was the best thing.

—

Antony Dupree. An average man of average wealth and average looks. With an average apartment and average car…just average. Except, he had a beautiful wife. A wife that was so completely out of his league that nearly everyone who knew him couldn't help but ask the question: how?

Well, the beautiful wife had had enough of average. She wanted more, and more wanted her.

And that's how Antony Dupree found his beautiful wife in bed with his handsome and wealthy boss.

With circumstances like that, it was no surprise that he was akumatized.

Ball and Chain, as he was named, demolished his average apartment building, with a wrecking ball attached to his wrist, and went on to terrorize the lovesick city of Paris.

—

The party swing at the local collège was interrupted by a series of screams and shouts. Inwardly, both Adrien and Marinette groaned. Of all the nights to be ruined, it had to be this one.

Well, to be fair, the night was pretty much shot anyway.

As the students fled from the dance floor to the library, Marinette ducked into a classroom and Adrien slipped into the locker room, both undetected. Shortly, Chat Noir and Ladybug were racing through the city of lovers.

"Evening, my lady!" Chat called. "You look lovely! Is that lipstick I see?"

"Oh yes, I'm trying out this new thing were I apply makeup before I fight. It's the whole 'powerful woman' movement."

"I love it! It _suits_ you!"

It was then that Ladybug realized her lipstick was bright Ladybug red. Of course. She stuck a tongue out at him.

Soon, they came to the neighborhood filled with screams. They landed just in time to see a building collapse.

The akuma was huge, hulking, and terrifying. Long black hair draped over his face, as he looked down on the crowd. He spotted a man standing in front of a woman protectively.

He spoke, his voice low and gravely. "Poor poor man, do you know if she is faithful?"

The man didn't reply, but the woman moved closer to him.

The akuma raised his wrist, where what looked like a three-prong harpoon sat.

Ladybug shouted at the couple. "Run! Get out of there!" They were too fair away for her to get to in time, still she ran for them. As she drew near, she saw the girl had a cast on her leg, and she wasn't going anywhere fast.

The harpoon fired, and the man stood fast, preparing to take the shot fully. But to everyone's surprise, the harpoon whipped past them and curved around, to strike the woman in the back.

"Elise!" The man cried, catching her before she fell.

"No…" Ladybug whispered, coming up short.

The akuma spoke stoically, "now we will see how her heart belongs to." And he threw the other end of the chain up in the air.

The cuff of the chain went flying off into the city, seeking out the person of the heart's desire. The man holding his wife watched it go, and slowly slid to the ground, weak. She didn't love him. She was seeing someone else.

"Such a pity." The akuma said, heartlessly. Suddenly, a red yo-yo bounced off his head.

"Hey ugly!" Called Chat. "Why don't you stop breaking hearts, and start fighting the good fight?!"

The akuma assessed the young couple in front of him. "Chat Noir…do you know if Ladybug is loyal?"

"What kind of stupid ass question is that?" He replied. "My lady loves the city, and fights for Paris, to keep her safe from people like you!"

The akuma raised his harpoon arm, "I don't mean Paris," he narrowed his eyes, "I meant you."

The harpoon fired, and the two leapt out of the way, dodging it…only, they _thought_ they had.

"My lady!" Chat called, when he watched the claw come back around. Ladybug leapt again, pushing off a building and rolling across the ground. She was short on the dismount by just enough that the harpoon hit it's mark and buried deep into her chest. One barbed claw went straight through her sternum, while the other two weaved around her ribs and encased her heart with sharp steel, one lung was punctured.

Ladybug collapsed, coughing up blood.

"Ladybug!" Chat rushed to her, sliding across the ground and catching her.

"I…I'm okay…" she managed.

"No..no you aren't…" he spoke with a tremble in his voice. "Let me get you somewhere safe, and then I'll fight him…and you'll purify him and you'll be okay." Tears were in his eyes, "you'll be okay!"

She nodded at this and prepared to stand.

"Chat Noir." The akuma spoke again.

"Oh give it a rest!" The cat shouted back.

"Don't you want to know who her heart belongs to?"

"My lady is not a possession!" He hoisted Ladybug to stand, and draped her arm over his shoulders. "She is an independent woman, able to think for herself. We are a team, but she can love whoever she wants!"

"Suit yourself." The akuma smirked, and then through the cuff up into the air.

Ladybug looked at the ground, exhausted. She was glad that Adrien was back at the school, or else this would be how her identity got out. Didn't everyone know she loved him?

It seemed like the harpoon felt differently, as the cuff fell from the sky and attached itself to Chat's wrist.

He looked at her.

She looked at him.

Neither knew what to make of it.

"How interesting…" the akuma spoke. It seemed that the Harpoon was part one of its attack. Part two included the heavy wrecking ball attached to his other wrist.

Thinking quickly, Chat wrapped the chain around Ladybug's waist and used it to pulled her close. Then he leapt a good distance away.

"Hang on, my lady…" he begged, great sorrow filling his soul. "Just hang on…"

"I'll be fine, Chat." Her voice was soft. "It didn't pierce my heart, but I can feel it squeezing me."

He scrunched up his nose. "Well, I can't fight him and protect you too. I have to destroy this chain!" Raising his hand, he called, "Cataclysm!"

"Wait! Chat it's attached to my chest!"

Chat froze, his hand still bubbling with destruction.

The ground shook.

"Look out!"

It all happened so fast. A wrecking ball came down, Chat threw himself on top of Ladybug, and Cataclysm crumpled the ground beneath them.

Down they fell. Down and down and down…until there was nothing but darkness.

—

Adrien woke to a flash of green light. Opening his eyes, he found himself surrounded by complete darkness.

"Ladybug?" He asked tentatively.

"I'm here…" she responded in a pained whisper.

"Where are we?"

"I don't know…" She wasn't sitting that far from him. "You were only out for five minutes. Long enough for your transformation to dissolve."

"Ugh…my head." He winced. "Plagg, are you here?"

A low whimper came from the floor, and Adrien reached out to search it. Small fuzz brushed his fingers.

"Plagg?"

The small creature crawled into his hand and curled up. "I'm okay, I just took the brunt of that hit. Do you have any cheese?"

Adrien used his freehand to search his pockets, only to realize that he was wearing his tux instead. "Oh Plagg…the one time I didn't…"

"I have some cookies," Said Ladybug. "Will that work?"

Plagg's voice was quiet. "Cookies sound amazing…"

"Are you sure you want to release your transformation? Won't it hurt?"

"Yeah, but if we want to get out of here, we're going to need Chat Noir."

"Hold on," said Plagg, forcefully. "I need to rest first, or else the transformation won't last long. Stay Ladybug for now."

"Okay."

Adrien cradled Plagg in his hand and slipped him into his pocket. "Get some sleep buddy." Then he reached out and felt Ladybug's stomach, and scooted over to pull her into his lap. "Is this okay?"

"Yeah, you're much more comfortable than this dirt floor."

"I have a flashlight on my phone. Let me see where we are."

"I'll close my eyes."

Adrien turned the flashlight on on his phone and shone the beam around the room. In front of them, he could see the hole they had fallen down, but no light shone down from it. Under, there was a small creek of stagnant water. He vaguely felt that Ladybug's suit was wet. Then, looking left and right, there was a tunnel that the creek continued down. There was no way to tell how far down they went.

"Well, it doesn't stink, so it's not the sewer. It might be a service tunnel." He peered around the pocket that they were in, and saw there was another tunnel directly behind them. On both sides of the tunnel, however, there were just piles and piles of human bones. He quickly turned off the light.

"What is it?" Ladybug asked, hearing him gasp.

"We're in the catacombs."

Ladybug was quiet for a minute, before she took out her yo-yo. "Then, we just need to get to the entrance. We can use GPS to find our way back."

"I hope you get better reception on your compact then I do on my phone."

"It's not great," she supplied.

Adrien looked over her shoulder. "We might even come across one of the hidden entrances."

"Let's hope so, since the main legal entrance is five miles away, across from Denfert-Rochereau."

Adrien sighed. "Well, we better get a move on then." Carefully, he stood, and held Ladybug in his arms, careful not to jostle the harpoon in her chest.

She winced anyway.

"Are you okay?"

"As okay as I can be? This is going to suck when I de-transform. Are you sure you've got me?"

He adjusted his grip on her, pulling her a little closer. "I'm solid, my lady. But to be honest, Chat Noir is stronger then me…not that you're heavy or anything…"

She chuckled against the pain, "I understand, silly cat."

"I need you to be navigator, and here's my phone for the flashlight."

She opened the screen, and turned on the light, finally getting a glimpse of the bones that Adrien saw. She grimaced, "I'm going to have nightmares about this."

"Me too," he agreed. "Which way?"

"Forward."

The trek was quiet, as Adrien panted with exertion. It wasn't long before he had to stop and take a break. He set her down on a cut out ledge. "This is going to take forever," he lamented.

"You're doing great." Ladybug encouraged, shivering.

"Are you cold, or is that shock?"

"I'm just cold."

Adrien removed his tux jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Plagg's sleeping in the right breast pocket, don't smush him."

"Thanks," she said softly, snuggling into his heat. "What are you wearing?"

"Uh…a tux."

He heard her chuckle slightly. "I see. I understand it now. I'm the luckiest girl in the world."

"…I mean, you are Ladybug. So naturally…what does that have to do with me wearing a tux?"

"Adrien was wearing a tux, and my heart belongs to Adrien. So…you're Adrien, right?"

He lifted the chain still clamped on his wrist. "Yeah…you got me...you love me, my lady?"

"Yeah…" He could tell she was blushing. Ladybug shone the flashlight upwards a bit to she could see his face. He was covered in dirt and grime, his hair was disheveled, and his white shirt was stained with her blood. But he was still handsome.

"I guess the cat's out of the bag."

"How long have you been waiting to say that?"

"Since the day I met you."

Ladybug shook her head with a laugh, the laugh turned to a cough, and the cough turned into blood.

Adrien stood quickly, and reached into his pocket. "We can't take anymore time. We have to defeat this akuma now, before you get worse."

"I might pass out before we get out of the tunnel," she spoke honestly.

Adrien grit his teeth and looked at the still exhausted Plagg in his hand. "How about it Buddy?"

"With those Cookies, I should be fine."

"Are you okay with this, Ladybug? I can look away, since I know you want us to hide our identities."

"It's okay," she whispered. "I think you should know who I am. It…it'll make sense."

"Okay, then…whenever you're ready, I've got you."

Ladybug nodded, knowing what needed to be done. "Tikki, spots off."

In a splash of pink, Ladybug disappeared and Marinette remained. She curled in on herself, clutching at her chest, and cried out in pain.

"MARINETTE!" Adrien screamed, despite himself. He caught her before she fell off her seat. "Oh Mari…"

"I—I'm doing an awful lot of bleeding today…aren't I?"

"Just don't do it again…" He tried to joke, to keep her calm, but it was very very hard. "Where are the cookies? Then you can transform again."

"In my bag…under my skirts."

He nodded, and lifted the garment, and found the bag resting against her bare legs. He didn't even have the mind to be embarrassed. He dug out the handful of cookies and gave several to each kwami.

"I'm ready Adrien!" Plagg stated, with renewed energy.

"Me too!"

"Good! Claws out!"

"S-Spots on…"

Putting the suit back on was great idea for Marinette. Not just to renew her strength, but Tikki had reformed the fabric tight around her chest, and momentarily stopped the bleeding.

Chat Noir scooped up his partner, and soon they were quickly bounding through the endless tunnels.

As time went on, Ladybug felt her strength returning. Definitely not to 100%, but enough to lend a hand to the fight. Yet, despite the map, and the GPS, and Chat's animalistic sense of direction, the Catacombs stretched on and on. Where they wanted to turn, the tunnel was caved in, and they had to turn around and go back the other way. Chat was becoming increasingly frustrated, and Ladybug was worried about outside world.

She hoped their classmates weren't too worried about them.

"Can you stand?" Chat asked, coming to another blocked tunnel.

"Yeah," Ladybug urged as he let go. She wavered on her feet, but stood.

Chat was looking at his baton.

Alya, still gussied up from the party, was peering around a street corner. "There's still no sign of Ladybug or Chat Noir. Witnesses say it was about two hours ago when the duo arrived and were pummeled into the street some 3 blocks away. Police investigated the hole left behind and estimate that our heroes ended up in the catacombs. However, parts of the hole have collapsed and there's no way to get down to them. We just have to hope and pray that they will make their way out safely."

Alya turned the camera to the Akuma, who was paused. "The akuma is very dangerous, one capable of death if you aren't wearing a super suit. Witnesses say that Ladybug was seriously injured when she fell. The akuma calls himself Ball and Chain, and I've witnessed him shoot some kind of claw that traps a heart, the other end attaches to the person they are in love with. I believe the akuma's aim with this is to ruin relationships. Perhaps he was someone that was cheated on?"

"Cheated on, huh?" Ladybug wondered, as she leaned on Chat. "I bet the akuma is in his wedding ring."

"Good thinking Bug!" Chat cheered.

There was a boom echoing down in the tunnels.

Back on the Baton, Alya had gotten closer to the camera. "It looks like Ball and Chain has decided to take the fight down to the catacombs! Hopefully no one else will get injured. This is Alya, signing off for now! Good luck Ladybug!"

"Well, at least he's not going to harpoon anyone else down here."

"Yeah, but he could destroy the structures holding up the city. We have to hurry!"

Chat picked up Ladybug and fled into the underground tunnels, listening for the booms coming from deep within.

"You can see in the dark, right?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to turn off the flashlight. That'll give us a sight advantage."

"Good thinking."

They took a corner, and Chat halted. The akuma was in a cavern, surrounded by bones. "I see him, stay quiet."

Ladybug whispered, "Lucky Charm!" And a long wooden item fell into her hands. "What is it?"

"A baseball bat." Chat Noir looked around. "What do you think?"

"I can't see anything, so nothing is lighting up."

Chat pursed his lips. "I have an idea."

She held out the bat to him, "be my guest."

"Can you hold onto my back?"

She nodded, and took hold.

With Ladybug on his back, and a baseball bat in hand, he carefully and quietly stepped behind the akuma, making sure not to step on any bones. Then, he wound up and whacked the akuma in the head, knocking him out.

"That works." Ladybug said with relief.

Chat pulled the man's ring off, and stomped it with his boot. A glowing purple butterfly fluttered out, and Ladybug caught it easily. "Bye Bye petite butterfly." She called as it fluttered away. She tossed the bat up into the air and called for Miraculous Ladybug.

The healing spell removed the claw from her chest, and the chain attached to Chat, and fixed the hole above them. It also returned the akuma victim to the surface.

But it left Chat and Ladybug in the dark.

"Mission accomplished!" Chat cheered, holding up his fist. Ladybug groped the air for it, and when she touched it, she returned with her fist.

"Rats." Said Ladybug, "I was really hoping the healing spell would take us up too."

"Well, we were making our way out before, and we'll do it again. This time, I don't have to worry about you bleeding to death."

Ladybug covered her chest as her earrings chirped for the third time.

Chat had his baton out and a map up. "Thankfully, I didn't use cataclysm, so I'll have a map."

"Yeah," said she, falling quiet.

"Ladybug?"

"You're Adrien."

"…uh, yep? Is…is that okay?"

"No, I mean, it's great…it's just now that I'm not mortally wounded…it really sunk in."

Chat glanced at her in the dark. "And you're Marinette."

"…yeah. That's me."

Her transformation ended, and the cavern was washed in pink.

Chat looked back at her with a frown before picking her up like a princess.

"What's this? I can walk now!"

"Yeah, but you're in heels and a very pretty, probably handmade, dress. So I'm going to carry you. You don't mind, do you?"

"Well, no…not really. Considering…" She didn't finish that thought as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Thank you."

"Anything for you, my lady."

They continued in silence for a while. Marinette took her phone out and turned on the light. Being able to see the gruesome sights of bones was better than the unknown.

"Adrien?" She whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you…another question about the kiss?"

"Shoot."

"Umm…you didn't pull away. At least, not right away…Did you not realize…? Or…"

"Oh, I knew exactly what happened." He paused. "It's a funny thing, if we're being open and honest…um, it's because I'm starved for affection."

Marinette's eyes widened. "…what?"

"Like, I know this is a problem I have, and I see it in myself…I find myself…actively seeking out opportunities to touch people. It's weird, I know, but like…I'll touch Nino on the back or on the shoulder, and Alya on the arm…or you…I just take whatever I can get from you. Whether it's kissing Ladybug's hand or having a slow dance with Marinette…"

"Adrien…"

"Weird right? So, when we kissed, I just…I don't know, I really liked it. It was filling some carnal need to just be…loved."

Marinette sniffed.

"Uh…my lady?"

"If you wanted affection, you could have just asked! I would have held you all day!"

He smiled, "I knew Marinette would have, but…I never pursued it since I was in love with…" he trailed off, his cheeks becoming red.

"Oh, right…who is it? Chloe?"

He scoffed. "No…it's stupid. It's you, as Ladybug. I always flirted with you as Chat because I wasn't quite sure how to tell you I was very truly in love with you…I got close once, on Valentine's day. But that stupid Dark Cupid…"

"So wait." She put a hand on his chest. "You're saying that you love me? And that I pushed you away as Ladybug, because I was in love with you as Adrien?"

"Kind of silly, huh?"

"We could have been dating months ago." She exasperated.

"Does that mean you want to start dating now?"

"Um," she giggled. "Why don't you ask me again once we're out of here. As Adrien."

He grinned, "That's fair."

"But…" she grinned back, "if you would be so kind as to put me down for a moment…"

"Oh, yeah sure." He agreed, stooping so her feet could touch the ground. "What is it th—mmph!"

Chat Noir never finished his sentence. The love of his life grabbed his cheeks and leaned in. Her heels made her level with him, and the kiss was effortless. She moved her hands up from his face and into his hair, tracing his cat ears with her fingers.

His claws delicately dug into her back as he kissed back with fervor. "Oh my lady…" he muttered against her lips. "I love you…you're so perfect and beautiful…"

"I love you too, chaton." She smiled into his kiss. Marinette was so unbelievably happy, that she almost didn't notice the wetness on her face. "Adrien?"

His voice trembled. "I thought I was going to lose you."

"Oh kitty…" she kissed him again, "it's alright. I'm here, I'm okay…"

He nodded and hugged her tightly. "I know I'm going to have nightmares of that…that horrible thing sticking out of your chest."

"I'll have nightmares too." She assured. "But…I think I have a solution."

"Hmm?"

"I'll leave my trapdoor open for Chat Noir if he can't sleep."

A delighted purr echoed in her ear and sent a chill down her spine. "I'm sure Chat would appreciate it." Then he leaned in and pressed warm kisses to her neck. "Oh wait, I am Chat." Kiss. "I'm sure I'd appreciate it." Without anything else, Chat swung her up into his arms. "You know, you're wife material."

Even in the dark, he knew she was blushing from head to toe. "Wife!? Adrien, we're just…I only just turned 16!"

"I know," he kissed her. "But it's fun to think about."

The shocked look didn't leave her face.

"Sorry…I guess that was a bit excessive."

She giggled. "Nah, I'm just trying to comprehend that my Adrien and my Chat are the same person, and that the word 'wife' came out of his perfect mouth."

"Darling, I'll say whatever you want me to say."


End file.
